The NFL currently boasts 50 international players. While 15 of the 50 players happen to come from Canada, the rest are from a diverse range of nations that they represent. The majority of the greatest of these players happen to be special teams specialists. The skill sets of special teams are a much more natural transition to American football for foreign players than adapting to be one the sports’ skill positions, such as wide receiver or running back.

Take for example Sav Rocca, who played Australian rules football from the young age of 1992 until 2006. Over that time he led scoring for both of the clubs he played for over numerous seasons, up until his retiriement. Rather than retire from all professional sports at this point, Rocca spent his final professional season preparing to become a punter in American league football.

A week after his final season with the North Melbourne Football Club, Rocca was immediately signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a punter and became the oldest NFL rookie in league history at 32. This career advancement by the former Melbourne man was definitely a strange one and his reasons for transitioning to the NFL included financial benefits and continued self improvement.

While Rocca did not have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, he was a great example of the rare foreign talent entering the NFL and benefiting the game. He was known for his hardheaded tackling for a punter, using his background in Australian Football to use a play style that most American punters could not replicate.

One of the greatest NFL kickers in recent history, Sebastian Janikowski, is the son of Polish immigrants and a member of the Polish under-15 soccer team. After immigrating to the United States and playing soccer in high school, Janikowski was recruited by one of the football coaches to play football. As the Raiders kicker enters his 16th year in the NFL, it would be an understatement to say that the transition between sports was successful.

Outside of the special teams positions, a surprising number of the NFL’s foreign players are members of the offensive and defensive lines. While the skill set to play on either line is incredibly nuanced, the entry prerequisite of “being large” is one that is not advantageous in most sports, so hopeful professional athletes of that body build around the world can make the leap into the line.

The Dallas Cowboys is the team in the NFL who has best taken advantage of this clientele of international lineman. Their defensive line includes Canadian Tyrone Crawford and British citizen Jackson Crawford, coincidentally sharing the same last name. Meanwhile, the backup to their offensive line includes fellow British citizen Lawrence Okoye who can play across the whole line.

There are players across the whole league that hail from various nations and cultures to come be part of the NFL family. Though there is not much of a historical background for the international footballer, the growing market of the league across the world is sure to pull in more interest globally to bring more of a talent pool in.

Despite the fact that no international player has made the Hall of Fame yet, Janikowski is probably on the fringe to, and some talent is sure to come over and break through to do so, especially as more nations come over to enrich the game and the league with their own personal additions to the game in style and spirit, as Sav Rocca did over a decade ago.

The post Across the sea: Non-American players in the NFL appeared first on The Retriever.

Modern Languages & Linguistics MLL 300

Time: MW 5:30-6:45pm                               Location:         Fine Arts 006

Instructor: Dr. Christopher Tong 唐老师               Office: Fine Arts 445

Email: ckt@umbc.edu                                               Office hours: Th 2-3, 5-6pm or by appointment

Course Description                                         

From the New Culture Movement of 1917 to World War II, from literary journals to rock concerts, from self-expression to social engagement, poetry has played an integral role in remaking modern Chinese life. In this course, you will study the works of key poets, musicians, and revolutionaries who shaped the development of modern Chinese culture and history in the 20^th century. Examining a range of materials such as poems, song lyrics, music (folk, classical, jazz, pop, rock, punk, hip hop), films, and scholarly essays, you will learn about modern Chinese lyrical culture as it evolved in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and its relationship with national and regional identities. While this course is designed for students with little or no prior knowledge of Chinese or Chinese culture, MLL 190, 191, 230 or 301 is recommended. Since this is an MLL course, all class discussions, assignments, and materials will be in English. Poems will be available in Chinese for those interested in reading the original.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) analyze modern Chinese poems using technical terms; (2) interpret modern Chinese poetry and music in their historical contexts; (3) recall major developments in modern Chinese history in the 20th century; and (4) improve your ability to think critically and write academic papers on literary topics. You are expected to work toward these goals, participate in all classroom activities, and complete all assignments in a timely manner.

Apply now for Society of Women Engineers scholarships for the 2017-2018 academic year. Collegiates who will be sophomores through Ph.D. candidates can apply on-line from December 1, 2016 through February 15, 2017.

The SWE Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to women studying baccalaureate or graduate programs, in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science. In 2016, SWE disbursed more than 230 new and renewed scholarships valued at over $750,000.

Students complete one application and are considered for all scholarships for which they are eligible. The online application is entirely electronic - including submittal of reference recommendations and transcripts.

As of 3:30p.m. Tuesday, December 13, 2016, the parking restriction for resident freshmen will be lifted for the remainder of the fall semester.  Vehicles displaying a Zone ‘F’ orange permit will be permitted to park in Zone ‘C’ designated areas and Stadium Lot. 

The resident freshmen parking restriction will be reinstated on the first day of class for the spring semester, Monday, January 30, 2016.

During the winter session, January 3rd - January 27th, permit holders for Zones ‘B’, ‘C’ or ‘F’ will be permitted to park in zones ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ with their permit properly displayed.

Contact Parking Services with any questions or concerns at x52551 or e-mail parking@umbc.edu.

Parking Services wishes everyone a successful completion of the semester and a safe and happy holiday.

Colossians 2:2-4 (MSG) - “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery!  I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.”

Loving God with all of our mind means coming to know Jesus better.  Then, and only then, will our minds be confident and at rest.  Let’s not be led astray, following our wrong thoughts or the ideas of the world in another direction, but let’s remain in this call of our God to love Him and to love others.

Let’s ask God what ways He would like us to love Him more with our minds, knowing that this means that we are asking Him to reveal to us our thoughts that are “wild goose chases.”  We are asking for this not only right now (in this moment of prayer), but in the everyday moments.  May the Spirit convict us of the wrong thoughts and imaginations, and lead us into a life of love.

-BR

MS Thesis Defense

Attacking and Defending the Automotive CAN Bus

Jackson Schmandt

12:30pm Thursday, 8 December, 2016, ITE 325b, UMBC

The scope and complexity of Automotive Computer Networks have grown drastically in the last decade. Once present only in high end vehicles, multi-use infotainment systems are now included in base models of some economy vehicles. Frequently connected to drivetrain components, these systems bring out multiple network access points, many of which are wireless. This unprecedented access has led to several high-profile exploits from both white-hat hackers and criminals. Although industry members are working toward long-term solutions, current systems suffer from inadequate protocol security and a lack of common-sense design practices. To address the security problem in the short term, this thesis describes a flexible Message Authentication Code that can be retrofitted with software only, as well as implementations on microcontrollers, an FPGA and an ASIC design. This work shows that on current embedded controllers, message authentication tags can be generated or verified in under 400 microseconds and in under 10 microseconds on a special-purpose ASIC.

Committee Members: Drs. Nilanjan Banerjee (chair), Alan Sherman (co-chair) and Anupam Joshi

The post Attacking and Defending the Automotive CAN Bus appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.